In last year's Policy Address, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr Li Ka-chiu, pointed out that public housing construction should be increased in terms of quantity, speed, efficiency and quality, and the supply should be increased to shorten the waiting time for public housing.

Apart from speeding up the construction of public housing through the extensive use of the "modular" construction method, the SAR Government also intends to "increase the height" of newly completed public housing units.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department has recently applied to the Town Planning Board for a relaxation of the plot ratio for the public housing project adjacent to the Tan Kwai Tsuen Service Reservoir in Yuen Long, so that seven blocks of public housing of 50 to 60 storeys can be built, increasing the number of units by nearly 10% to accommodate nearly 20,000 residents.

The Department has indicated that the Government is considering a general increase in the maximum plot ratio and building heights of residential blocks to provide more public housing.

The Federation of Public Housing Associations (FPA) is in favour of the development of public housing projects to higher heights so that more grassroots can be "put up for sale" as soon as possible, but is concerned about the load on traffic and community facilities caused by the large number of tenants moving in, and suggests that the Government should provide good community support facilities, and that supporting facilities such as schools, hospitals and commercial facilities should also keep pace with population growth.

According to the TPB document, the public housing project is located next to the Nam Fuk Shui Service Reservoir in Tan Kwai Tsuen, Yuen Long, covering an area of 524,916 square feet, which is currently a greenfield site with squatter huts.

The site has been rezoned to "Residential (Group A) 2" for the construction of seven blocks of 50 to 60 storeys of public housing.

The Civil Engineering and Development Department has applied to the Town Planning Board for an increase in the plot ratio from 6.5 to 7.2 and an increase in the building height limit for each public housing block from 205 metres above Principal Datum to 235 to 240 metres.

According to the document, the project is expected to produce 7,250 units, an increase of 530 units from the original proposal of 6,720, and to accommodate 19,500 residents, with a residential floor area of about 3,411,900 square feet, or an average of about 471 square feet per unit. At the same time, about 30% of the units will be allocated for sale as subsidised housing and 359,000 square feet will be reserved for non-residential uses, including restaurants and shops, and 1,464 car parking spaces of various types will be provided.

The project will be built in three phases, with the first batch of flats expected to be ready for occupation in 2030, with over 5,200 flats for public rental housing and the remainder for Green Home Ownership Scheme or Home Ownership Scheme flats.

According to the Civil Engineering and Development Department, in view of the shortage of land for housing development and the increasing demand for more public housing supply, the Government is considering a general increase in the maximum plot ratio and building height to provide more public housing. Apart from this project, there have been plans for PRH over 50 storeys in the Long Bin Interim Housing and Kwu Tung New Development Areas in recent years.

Buildings not expected to obstruct ventilation

Speaking to Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, Federation of Public Housing Associations officer Chan Sai-hung said the government had earlier applied to the Town Planning Board for relaxation of plot ratio and building height for public housing sites in both the Kwu Tung North and Fanling North public housing projects, "There are already many public housing and Home Ownership Scheme flats in Hong Kong with a building height of about 50 storeys, and this time a building height of 50 to 60 storeys is a reasonable range and will not cause any problems.

He pointed out that the building density in the Hung Shui Kiu area is not high, and he believed that there would not be much impact on ventilation, living environment and microclimate, "Nowadays, the design is advanced, I believe there will not be screen buildings obstructing ventilation.

However, Chan Sai Hung is concerned that as the development plan for New Territories North progresses and large public housing estates are completed one after another, transport support is being tested. The PHA has repeatedly suggested to the relevant government departments to promote the construction of the East Rail and the New Territories Trunk Road, as well as the establishment of the New Territories North East Rail Link: "Always the railway is the most important tool to relieve traffic pressure.

In addition, ancillary facilities such as schools, hospitals and commercial facilities need to keep pace with population growth to avoid causing inconvenience to residents.

"The most important thing is to accelerate the development of the 'Northern Metro Area'. He stressed that with the accelerated development of New Territories North, the completion of a large number of public and private buildings, and the rapid increase in residential population, the creation of sufficient employment opportunities in New Territories North is the key to its smooth development. "If sufficient employment opportunities are not provided, the 100,000-odd new residents will have to commute between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island every day to earn a living, and no matter how much additional capacity is provided by the East Rail and highways, they will definitely not be able to cope with the load.

In the long run, Chan Sai-hung is not worried about a repeat of Tin Shui Wai's 'city of sadness', "with the huge Mainland market and the formation of the Greater Bay Area living circle, the centre of gravity of Hong Kong's economy will definitely have to shift northwards, bringing a lot of development opportunities and employment opportunities.